How to get better sleep

I’m tired. There’s no denying that. Having kids sure put a strain on me body, both physically and mentally. I’ve never understood what it meant to feel exhausted until I became a mother. I also never knew you could still function with only 4 hours of sleep! #newbornlife But, a body can only sustain that for so long until you start feeling the effects of sleep deprivation. I’ve partnered with the Better Sleep Council to put together tips for your best nights rest. On their website you can find more tips as well.

In the last couple of weeks I started to really look at my sleeping habits and what I can do to change them to get my best sleep possible. Obviously, I wake up 1-2 times a night due to a newborn, but I want to make sure those stretches of sleep I do get is quality sleep. So instead of looking at every article on the web possible, I decided to take a step back, like 26 years’ worth of steps back and think about my sleep as a toddler/young child. I’m tackling my sleep problems with the “Sleep like a Kid” approach. What are habits and routines we’ve established with our children that make them such awesome sleepers that allow them to wake up like little energizer bunnies? The month of May is Better Sleep Month. Better Sleep Month is a month-long holiday in May that is celebrated by the sleep industry. It aims to raise awareness about the benefits of better sleep and how poor sleep can disrupt our lives.

1. Establishing a bed time routine: Kids’ respond well to routines. Doing the same thing over and over before bed trains your mind to know it’s time for bed. So creating a solid bedtime routine for yourself (this does not only include wash face-brush teeth-put
   jammies on-bed). Maybe creating something more detailed that gives your mind and
   your body time to slowly shut down and prepare for bed.
2. Having an actual bed time: Stop staying up at all hours of the night. Make and keep a bedtime. Like children, we pretty much have a set bedtime for them and we pretty much stick to it. Because of their bedtime, we know exactly how many hours of sleep they’re getting, and honestly it determines their attitudes and performance the next day. When my husband and I set a goal of going to bed at 11pm, and wake up at 7:30, we are guaranteed getting 8 hours of sleep (giving ourselves a 30 minute buffer). It’s hard when you want to binge watch a show, or finish up some work…but it’s worth it…..which leads me to my next point.
3. No electronics before bed: The blue light from the computer, cell phone, tablet and TV is proven to disrupt your sleep. We have a strict no electronics 45 minutes before bedtime rule. After the kids eat dinner, they play with each other, take their showers, and read a book quietly in their beds until we say our prayers. So this one is personally a hard one for me because my husband and I take advantage of the kids being asleep to catch up on our shows, finish some work on the computer (that’s my husband) and message people back on Instagram (that last one is me). But by putting away the devices at least 30 minutes before bed, we’re allowing our minds to shut off. Fact about the blue light: Our minds interpret that light as sunlight, so it tricks our bodies into thinking it’s day time therefore disrupting our circadian clock/rhythm. If I need to check my phone for something, I keep it brief and I lower my screen brightness and put it on night mode (it will cast a yellow-ish tint instead of the bright blue).
   
4. Taking a nice warm bath/shower: Nothing relaxes me more than a warm shower, with some lavender essential oil before bed. I sleep SO much better when I feel clean. Paint the picture in your head, getting out the shower, slipping into your cozy pajamas, and into your bed (with clean sheets–clean sheets make all the difference as well). But every night before bed, the kids take a quick shower and I’ve noticed the nights that we skip showers for XYZ reason, they don’t sleep as hard as they typically do or they are more restless come bed time.                                                      
5. No naps or caffeine after a certain time: We all know that when your kid naps too long, or too late, they’re much harder to put down come bed time. Same goes for us adults. I love a good nap! It re-energizes me mid-day. But if I nap too long or too late in the day, I’m WIDE AWAKE at 1am. So I try to keep my naps short and sweet (if I’m able to take one). And I also stop all caffeine intake 12 hours before bed. When I have that afternoon cup, I have a much harder time shutting my mind off at night.
   
6. Getting enough daylight and physical activity during the day: My kids spend at least 1.5-2.5 hours a day outside, whether it’s playing a sport of some sort, going for a walk, or playing in the backyard, they’re outside soaking up the sun. By the time bedtime comes, they’re actually tired! When my husband and I are consistent in the gym, I sleep so much better at night. And like I mentioned before, daylight is so important for your body’s circadian rhythm. Your body needs to know day time is for being up, and nighttime for sleeping. So when you’re out in the daylight (whether it’s going for a walk, working by a window, etc.) you’re telling your body daytime is for being up and active, nighttime is for sleeping.
7. Set the mood and Environment: The kids sleep with black curtains, closed blinds, sound machine, and 67°-68° temps. In the morning when it’s time to wake them up, I open up the curtains and the blinds, and the sound machine is on a timer so it shuts off in the morning. The kids wake up with no problems every single morning. So when my husband and I go to sleep, we replicate their same environment. Closed curtains, sound machine running, and super cold room. When I wake up in the morning, I immediately open up the curtains to let in the day light. There is something about the natural morning sun that gets me going.

I found that when I’m well rested, like the kids, I’m not cranky the next day. I feel motivated to
work. I feel like a good mother, because I’m well rested and able to have the patience to deal with my2-year-old. And I’m able to just get out of bed in the morning. I’m able to just get up when my alarm goes off and not hit snooze 4 times in a row. That’s an amazing feeling.

So if you’re struggling with quality sleep, I encourage you to look at how kids sleep so that you can “Sleep Like a Kid”.

This post was sponsored by the Better Sleep Council, but as always, all thoughts and opinions
are 100% my own.